Title: A longitudinal analysis of work-life balance perspectives of future business professionals

Authors: Stefan Linnhoff; Katherine Taken Smith; L. Murphy Smith

Addresses: Department of Marketing, Murray State University, Murray, Kentucky, 42071-3314, USA ' Department of Marketing, Murray State University, Murray, Kentucky, 42071-3314, USA ' Department of Accounting, Murray State University, Murray, Kentucky, 42071-3314, USA

Abstract: People face the difficulty of how to allocate their limited time between work and non-work activities; this is the age-old problem of work-life balance. Facilitating work-life balance for its employees is a vital aspect of best practices in business management, which will engender higher levels of employee job performance and ethical behaviour. This study compares findings of prior research with results of a current survey of work-life balance perspectives of future business professionals. A key finding is that work-life balance is still of high importance. In addition, some interesting gender-related changes were observed. Comparing the results for 2013 and 2008, findings show that regarding WLB-related issues that were of more concern to females than males in the past are now essentially of shared interest for both sexes.

Keywords: work-life balance; productivity; human resources; ethics; business professionals; job performance; ethical behaviour; gender.

DOI: 10.1504/IJBEX.2015.071273

International Journal of Business Excellence, 2015 Vol.8 No.5, pp.601 - 631

Received: 08 Jan 2014
Accepted: 07 Mar 2014
Published online: 19 Aug 2015 *

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